Last year in November, I walked into my office and set up a meeting with my boss and just said I cannot work here any more and quit.
In 2015, as some of you will know, was just crazy because I left my job in London for a job in Florence, in a country I never even bloody visited before, couldn't even speak the damn language but I did it and never regretted my decision for a second. I think over the year I just realised that this wasn't the best company for me but they were going to renew my contract and I just thought, I could either spend the next year unhappy or just take the leap and go somewhere else.
It was a hard decision because I really loved my job, I was given so many fantastic opportunites but I couldn't work for the company anymore. After, I kept thinking whether I had made the right decision or not, but deep down I knew it was.The thing is, I have never been without a job since the age of 16 so it was a real shock to the system to think that I will be unemployed for a little while.
This meant I had to change my mindset, of course I no longer had a job but I had to turn the concept of "looking for a job" into my actual job for a while. Every morning I would get up turn my laptop on and start searching, I would speak to a variety of recruiters to not only see whether there were any available but to also keep in their inbox - I didn't want to get forgotten. Being without a job gave me the opportunity to really consider my next move, do I settle for a job where I am just earning a wage or do I do something that I gives me long term opportunites? There was so many things to consider but I was fortunate that I had enough time to do this, I wasn't gonna just settle for anything, I couldn't.
I think quitting my job is probably the second best decision I have made in terms of my career because it has made me realise what I want to do and how I can do that.
What kind of risks have you taken in work that has ended in good results?
Beauty is well and truly BACK on the blog and today we are having a bit of a chat about this Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara! Now, guys, you know me, I am all about the eyes I have said this so many times but I believe if eyes are the window to the soul they should always be dressed accordingly! You will never see me leave my house without at least wearing mascara, ever! I fell in love with the Urban Decay Perversion mascara last year and it was only when I was on the Ferry back to the UK that I spotted the Lancome mascaras in duty free, Doll Eyes actually comes with another one which I will be reviewing next week so just hold out for that.
I have never used any Lancome make up products but I have used a beauty product in the past and I have a solid opinion of the brand but it just isn't something I would frequently go to buy from. In terms of design as you can see the bottle is very simplistic and doesn't actually give you a lot of information as to what kind of product it is, however I think that's because the name says it all...Doll Eyes. This mascara is very different to what I am used to, there are a lot of very straight bristles and the brush tapers to a point. This means that as you apply the brush grabs each lash and evenly distributes the product on it leaving you with very delicate and fluttery doll like eye lashes. I really love that the brush does have a point because it means you can reach all of the corner lashes.
I do like this mascara but it doesn't give me another drama on my eye lashes, you can't really build it up for impact which I'm not that surprised about because it does give you Doll Eyes but I like my lashes to look thicker. It gives them a great lift and length and really coats each lash but it definitely doesn't add the thickness and volume I want. I do wait for the first layer to dry and then add another but you can't add much more otherwise it will just clump. I tend to use the Doll Eyes mascara when I am keeping my make up quite simple.
Overall, I like it but I'm not in love with this one!
Have you tried any of the Lancome mascaras before?
Something a bit lavish on Honeypot Blogs today guys! I just had to talk about the Sharing Platter with Champagne for two at Harrods experience which I had the absolute pleasure of sharing with my dear Vernia, in fact she won the experience and shared it with me, what an utter babe. This was my first trip into London since moving back to England and what a wonderful welcome home.
Now, if you know me, you know I love a bit of fizz! I am perfectly happy with a bottle of prosecco, but let's face it if a glass of champagne is on offer, you know I am gonna take it! This Champagne Experience with Harrods actually includes a glass of champagne each and a sharing platter as you can see in the above pictures. I believe that the food changes depending on what's available but this was the selection we were given and I was bloody happy. Vernia booked in advance so I would definitely suggest you do that to if you were considering it because it does get very busy!
Let's get started on the food shall we, as you can see there was a great selection of different food options, but obviously no veggie alternatives on this plate but I am sure if you mentioned this before they could accommodate. We had, Foie Gras with toasted brioche which I know is a kind of risky option because of how Foie Gras is sourced but it's like a pate. Personally, I love anything pate related but Vernia isn't really a fan so I had the whole damn thing and I have to say it was divine! They definitely give you a very hearty slab of it though I found the brioche toast a little delicate so you can't spread it as harshly but I was a big fan of this one. Moving onto the Salmon Croque Monsieur, which is basically like a little cheese toastie but made with salmon as opposed to ham. It was a great option, a little more than a mouthful but just enough really. Next up we had a little Chicken Satay Skewer and I mean, what more can I say? Who doesn't love a little chicken satay skewer!! They served it with a little dish a satay sauce and it was bloody yummy, rather mild though, but the chicken was cooked really well! Then we had, which personally was my fave, a little Crab Cake ball which was served with a tartar sauce, my god that was heavenly! I could have easily eaten a whole plate of those bad boys! So much crab packed in that ball and the sauce really balanced it out, really yummy guys! And finally we had a Thai Spring Roll which had vermicelli and prawns in, I had to sit this one out, I like prawns but I don't like them cold but I got my dear's feedback. She actually said it lacked a bit of flavour which was a real shame because when you think of Thai food, you think of a playful mix of delicate spices and these was a bit bland.
Moving onto the champagne, I mean of course it was lovely, it's usually like £14-£17 a glass so it was very light but fruity and smooth like you would expect for a good quality champagne. We decided to have another little drink after the ones in the package, which was fine because we just paid for them at the end. I went with a champagne cocktail which had Cognac and a little sugar cube soaked in like an orange bitters which really packed a punch. It's safe to say we were a little giggly after.
The environment was super relaxed, I mean you are in the middle of the store but it's like a little moment of calm in the chaos of the elite Harrods shoppers. I think the Sharing platter for Two with Champagne is such a fun experience that is a nice gift anyone would love to recieve.
This year I am gonna spend more of my time doing these types of experiences around London or just at least trying out new places, so this is one I can tick off my list!
Have you had a dining experience at Harrods?
Oh I am happy to be back in the UK with my beloved high street shops where I can try out all the latest beauty products once again! As soon as I saw the L'Oreal Pure Clay masks released I bloody wanted them, I read so many reviews and knew I wanted the Detox Mask. However I think everyone wants this mask so when I went to Boots, it was sold out, not a single one left in stock but I was bloody leaving with a Pure Clay Mask so I opted for the Purity one.
I have recently got back into clay masks, my skin is very temperamental I get a lot of spots around my jawline at certain times of the month so I started using the Australian Skin Care cleansing face mask again and kind fell in love all over again. I think it can be so hard to find a good clay mask that doesn't dry your skin out or make it raw when you try and remove the damn thing. I cannot stand face masks that dry so hard you have to practically chisel it off of your face!
The first thing I really love about the L'Oreal Pure Clay products is that they come in a little jar, instead of a squeezy tube like so many do. I like to apply my face masks with a flat foundation brush so I'm not constantly rubbing or touching my face. I kinda stumbled on this trick because I bought a flat foundation brush which was just AWFUL for foundation but I didn't want to throw it away so I just used it for something different. As the product is in jar it just makes it very easy for me to get the product with my brush as opposed to apply it on the back of my hand and then my face.
The Purity Mask is said to purify and mattify your skin, so whilst it doesn't draw out the imperfections as well as I imagine the Detox Mask would I still hoped it would give me a bit of something that could help with some of my spots at least. I haven't used it long enough to give a long term review but I just wanted to share with you my first impression. For some reason I really love the smell, it's so fresh and clean where as some clay mask can smell a bit too "earthy" for my liking. You only need to leave the mask on for 5 - 10 minutes which is pretty good, I tend to leave it on for about 7 minutes because that gives it enough time to dry but not set too hard. I will say that the Purity Mask does dry harder than I prefer but it's not too bad to remove with my muslin cloth.
I can't say that the mask did anything for my spots, didn't really dry them out but the rest of my skin definitely looked a little more matte and was of course rather smooth so in that respect, it is a nice face mask and I will definitely continue to use it to see whether over time it has a bigger impact. I definitely can't wait to try the detox one as many people have recommended it. They retail for around £7.99 but Boots is currently selling them for £6 as well as Superdrug so now is definitely a good time to try them out.
What are your thoughts on the L'Oreal Pure Clay Masks?
This was a very sweet gift given to me by my dear Vernia, and isn't it just such a cute little journal. In all honesty, I love writing and making notes of stupid little things, so whenever someone gets me a notepad or journal as a gift, they are pretty damn special in my eyes. The problem is some times I struggle to remember to write things down as I make a lot of notes on my phone.
This journal has no dates, no months, no holidays! Just 365 pages numbered as such, I really love the simplicity of it. Another nice thing about this journal in particular is that it is the perfect handbag size, so I can actually carry it around with me in almost any of my bags.
At first I was kind of struggling to think about what to write in it or how to use it but it just totally made sense to use it everyday by writing one good thing that had happened in the day or several good things. I must admit I am a bit anxious about 2017, simply because 2016 was so incredible, a part of me is worried that I'm maybe due some bad luck or that it won't reach the same expectations as the previous year! This being said, I am quite rational and realistic and believe that your mindset has a lot to play for in these situations. I will stay positive and just knuckle down and figure my stuff out but I think this little journal will be a great reminder of all the really nice things that can and will happen this year.
No matter how trivial or how small every day I absolutely must add at least one thing that made me smile and let's face there will be loads. I don't want to use this little book for lists or anything boring, I just want to be able to look back and smile.
Do you have a journal?
